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UCF
No. 2 UF Women's Tennis Opens Season with 7-0 Win over UCF
Thursday, January 26, 2006 | Women's Tennis
The No. 2-ranked University of Florida women's tennis squad won its 21st-straight season-opening match Wednesday by a final count of 7-0 at Linder Stadium at the Ring Tennis Complex. The Gators (1-0) swept through doubles and singles competition for the victory over the Knights (0-1).
In singles, UF won on all six courts, with No. 63-ranked Nina Suvak (Mojstrana, Slovenia) clinching the match for the Gators on court 3 with her 6-2, 6-0, win over Anna Yakimchenkova. Florida opened the afternoon in doubles action, winning on all three courts to secure the doubles point and lead 1-0 heading into singles. In No. 1 doubles, the No. 25-ranked tandem of Whitney Benik (Delray Beach, Fla.) and Suvak defeated UCF's Pamela Fernandez and Anna Yakimchenkova 8-1 to wrap up the point.
“It went well today,” Florida associate head coach Dave Balogh said. “With it being the first match of the year, we had some dust that we needed to knock off. We wanted the ladies to keep working on each point, and they did a good job of making adjustments early. I was very impressed with their play today.”
After redshirting a year ago, senior Alexis Gordon (Windsor, Conn.) made a triumphant return with two victories, winning in singles over Elvira Serrot 6-0, 6-2, in the No. 2 spot.
“It felt good to be out there in front of the crowd under the lights,” Gordon said. “It felt great to be around my teammates again. It felt like old times.”
In other singles action, top-ranked singles player Diana Srebrovic (Oakville, Ontario) defeated Central Florida's Pamela Fernandez 6-0, 6-1, to move the Gators' lead to 3-0. At the No. 4 position, Benik, who is currently ranked No. 52 in the ITA singles rankings, opened the singles with a convincing 6-1, 6-1, win over Kanza Belbacha.
In other doubles matches, Gordon and freshman Keri Robison (Decatur, Ill.) teamed up to take care of Kanza Belbacha and Elvira Serrot 8-1 at the No. 3 position, while the No. 2 duo of Lolita Frangulyan (Bradenton, Fla.) and Srebrovic took care of UCF's Megan Hunter and Kyla McNicol 8-5 to complete the sweep.
Next on the docket for the Gators will be Saturday, Jan. 28, at Furman University. First serve from Greenville, S.C., is set for 4 p.m. at the Mickel Tennis Center. Check back to www.GatorZone.com for a complete match recap following Saturday's contest between the Gators and Paladins.
Doubles
1. No. 25 Whitney Benik/Nina Suvak (UF) def. Pamela Fernandez/Anna Yakimchenkova (UCF) 8-1*
2. Lolita Frangulyan/Diana Srebrovic (UF) def. Megan Hunter/Kyla McNicol (UCF) 8-5
3. Alexis Gordon/Keri Robison (UF) def. Kanza Belbacha/Elvira Serrot (UCF) 8-1
Singles
1. No. 1 Diana Srebrovic (UF) def. Pamela Fernandez (UCF) 6-0, 6-1
2. Alexis Gordon (UF) def. Elvira Serrot (UCF) 6-0, 6-2
3. No. 63 Nina Suvak (UF) def. Anna Yakimchenkova (UCF) 6-2, 6-0
4. No. 52 Whitney Benik (UF) def. Kanza Belbacha (UCF) 6-1, 6-1
5. No. 16 Boglarka Berecz (UF) def. Jennifer Carati (UCF) 6-2, 6-2
6. No. 91 Lolita Frangulyan (UF) def. Megan Hunter (UCF) 7-6 (3), 6-3
Order of finish: Doubles: 3, 1, 2 Singles: 4, 1, 3, 5, 2, 6
